


Harry Potter: Time Traveler

by broken_hearted_bard



Series: This, That or the Other Thing [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Canon Timeline but Events Changed, Clocks, Defeating the DADA Jinx, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Gen, Harry Potter Out of Time, Non-Canon Courses Added, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Portrait!LilyPotter, Potter Manor, Saving People Who Died In Canon, Saving Sirius, SemiDisguised!Harry, Time Travel, Turning In Pettigrew, Young!Harry, character tags to be added as they show up, future!Harry - Freeform, harry from the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-11-15 03:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18066017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_hearted_bard/pseuds/broken_hearted_bard
Summary: Harry starts altering the events of his younger self's life.You know those stories where Future!Harry goes into the past and then raises himself so that none of it happens or similar? This isn't that.Here's what could have happened...[That]





	1. The First Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry takes the first steps towards changing the timeline.  
> Harry meets Headmaster Dumbledore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The canon galleon rate is that 1 galleon is about 5 pounds. That seems really tiny, considering how big american money is. So...  
> I'm going with: 1 galleon is equal to 15.41 pounds (so that it would work out to being 1 galleon is equal to 20 american dollars).  
> If I've done the math wrong on the salary part, please let me know.

_13th, November, 1988_

Well, hell. No, no, it wasn't that bad. He'd arrived two years before he'd meant to. He had wanted to arrive in the fall of 1990, to give himself a little time to do some necessary things and apply for the DADA job, so he could watch over young Harry just a little easier. The fall of 1990 would have given him just enough time and not too much. Too much time could be devastating for the timeline, overall. This could work, though. At least he hadn't gone so far back as to when his parents were still alive.

Harry sighed. Okay, so...he wasn't exactly in the year he'd meant to aim for, but this wasn't bad -- it was okay. He had work to do, and he'd just...wait. He'd wait out the timeline and fix things that didn't need to be so precise. 

He looked carefully through his bag, just to make sure everything had made the trip with him. After checking thoroughly, he then checked his person. He still wore the charmed and imbued necklace of agate, azurite and tourmaline. He had a little hourglass in his left pocket, a wand strapped (in a holster) to his hip, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in his right pocket, and the Elder Wand in a holster on his arm. Only...the Elder Wand wasn't there. Harry took a long, deep breath. He could work around that; he still had his secondary wand (yew, eleven inches, phoenix feather core, inscribed with sigils, tipped in bloodstone). He'd get the Elder Wand back, eventually.

What could he change first? Sirius! He could focus on Sirius and Pettigrew -- that wouldn't change too much, because there was no way Dumbledore would let Sirius raise young Harry. It wouldn't help Dumbledore's plans or machinations or the greater good.

What was the best way to capture Pettigrew? Introduce himself to the Weasleys and get invited to dinner. Harry knew that the twins would start Hogwarts in September of the next year (1989), which meant that Percy was already at Hogwarts. So, bumping into them in Diagon Alley next year could work. He could go to Hogwarts, but just showing up there for no reason would be suspicious.

In order to get started with what he deemed as his mission to fix things, Harry apparated to Diagon Alley. He had a vault to open, a house to secure, an application to file and arrangements to make. There was still so much to do.

***

Gringotts had gone as smoothly as it could have -- and better, in some respects, than he'd expected. Little Harry's blood was not on file, as of yet, so there'd been no matching there -- but Goblin magick had detected that he was a Time Traveler. However, since gold and treasure and family was all they were really loyal to, they didn't care. His blood linked him to the Potter line as a direct descendant and successor. Since everyone but the child was dead, it made him the Patriarch of the Line and the rightful Lord and Heir.

 _Evan Linfred Potter Blackwell_ inherited the Potter and Peverell Gringotts vaults (of which there were four), the Potter Manor in Stinchcombe (along with its six House Elves), the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow (of which he would have to fight for, but since he knew what was in store, he had the Goblins point him in the direction of a barrister), and a ten percent stock-holding in Sleekeazy's. There was also one Black vault (Dorea Black) that he now owned as well. Dorea's vault had been a surprise, but he'd realized quickly that when Sirius had gone on the run in the original timeline, the Goblins must have assigned him any remaining, unclaimed Black vaults. Young Harry wouldn't have known to claim it, and by the time he'd turned seventeen, it would have been dumped into the larger Black vault. Some of its assets were familiar to Harry, but not all.

Harry deposited his funds in a new vault (only linked to Evan Blackwell) and had the Goblins reclaim any outstanding property, goods or funds for the Potter and Peverell Estates, and then set up a withdrawal book (like muggle checks or muggle credit cards) as well as a monthly accounting (they'd send him a list of transactions each month).

Lord Blackwell-Potter would take one Wizengamot seat, hire a proxy for the Peverell seat and live in Potter Manor. Hopefully, if luck held out, Professor Blackwell would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Izor, the current Potter accounts manager at Gringotts, had sent his application and letter off for him, for which Harry...er, Evan...was grateful.

During his shopping in Diagon Alley, Harry made one, immutable, irreversible decision. He purchased a young, Juvenile, Snowy owl and named her Hedwig. He had recognized her instantly and inquired about her at Eeylops Owl Emporium. The clerk had been nice, but not really knowledgeable. They didn't know where she'd come from, exactly, but she'd been too young to be on her own and had been in the shop for several months. She'd reach adulthood, or maturity, in about two years -- but probably wouldn't want to breed for a whole year after that.

She'd hooted at him conversationally and he'd fallen in as much love as he had the first time he'd met her. He couldn't leave her there. Besides which, saving Hedwig was one of his goals and young Harry having her -- she stood out way too much -- was one of the reasons she'd died.

***

It had been three weeks since he'd applied for the Dark Arts post, and he'd finally heard back from Headmaster Dumbledore, who was eager to meet with him.

Harry pushed open the large, wrought-iron gates and stepped onto Hogwarts campus. He breathed in the familiar air deeply and grinned. He'd missed it. 

He wore professionally tailored dark-blue wixen robes, his long, black hair pulled back in a loop at the base of his head, a thin beard covered his jawline and chin, and a sprinkling of undetectable glamour potion covered the thin, white scar -- all that was left of the curse-scar of his youth. He'd padded his clothes around his hips just a little and had shadowed his eyes very subtly with makeup.

As he headed in through the front doors, he slipped the hourglass and the little vial of murky brown liquid out of his pocket.

He turned the hourglass over once while muttering a word in Irish to activate it. Everything came to a halt. Time stood still, except for Harry, everything on his person and the hourglass. He broke the vial, smashing it on the floor. The potion spilled out and, as it hit the air, it vaporized and then Hogwarts was, for a moment, blasted with eerie grey light.

Satisfied that the hex was broken, Harry vanished the broken glass and then deactivated the hourglass with another word, this time in Greek. Time began at its normal pace again and Harry made his way to the Gargoyle that blocked the Headmaster's office.

***

"As you might be aware, Mr. Blackwell," Albus Dumbledore said quietly, "Professor Arrend's contract is up at the end of the school year, in June and she has no desire, whatsoever, to renew. Your application is not only timely, but quite impressive."

Evan nodded and gave a quick smile. "Thank you, Headmaster."

Albus leaned back in his chair. "Why is it that you wish to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"I think there's a lot to be prepared for," Evan responded. "Children, teens and young-adults all need to have a solid grasp of what is Dark Arts and what isn't. They also need a well-rounded education in creatures, creature law, jinxes, hexes and curses. If they don't get that in school, they'll get it elsewhere -- and often in unsavoury ways."

Albus nodded, cleaned his glasses for a moment and then said, "Would you care for a lemon drop?"

Evan smiled, but shook his head. "Never developed a taste for them."

"I have done some thorough checking on your experience and answers on your application. I can't find you anywhere in England before a few weeks ago, but I am aware that you are related to the Potters, is that correct?" Albus asked.

Evan nodded a bit enthusiastically. "Enough to very much please the Goblins, in any case. James and I are cousins - though the family tapestry doesn't show the connection."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "No, it doesn't. No matter, these things get lost sometimes, and the Goblins are nothing if not diligent." He tapped his fingers on his desk. "It's difficult to get accurate records from India, but your reviews and certificates are impressive. Why did you want to come back to England? You seem like you'd have risen through the ranks in Jaadooan."

"It's my home. I wanted to come home," Evan replied.

Albus clapped his hands together. "I'll need you to be here by 18th, August. I will have to approve of your syllabus and books for the school year, but how you teach will be up to you. As long as you teach the students what they need to know to pass exams, that's all that really matters. Will you be comfortable living here during term time?"

"You're offering me the job?" Evan asked.

Albus smiled. "Yes. I see no reason not to. A year-long contract, with my approval of your syllabus and book selection. You'll have quarters here, on the staff floors, and you'll teach the first through third year students. Do you have any questions?"

"Will I be working with the other members of my department, or are we all more separate?" came Evan's first question.

"The department head, which as of this moment is Professor Winters, reviews the syllabus of all of the Defense professors to make sure there's no overlap other than review. She'll let you know if there's something that needs to be changed, after I've approved it," the Headmaster explained.

"And what is the payscale?" Evan asked.

"You will receive a salary of 200 galleons a month, for a total of 2,400 galleons a year - that is the starting salary. It's the equivalent of, I believe, $3,000 pounds a month. Deputy Headmistress McGonagall will meet you on 18th, August, in the enterance hall and provide you with a tour, a map, a tour of your quarters and any rules or directions needed," Albus explained. "Staff meetings are mandatory, as is hall monitoring at night. You'll be given a schedule."

"Sounds great. I look forward to getting started," Evan said as he rose from his seat. "Are there forms to sign?"

Albus pushed forward a stack of parchment and lifted up a quill pen. "We're glad to have you."

As Evan signed all the papers, it occurred to him that he'd have to spend the first few weeks pretending he didn't know where everything was. The strangest thing, though, was that in this timeline there was more than one Defense teacher. He wondered how they'd been getting around the hex with that, if Albus expected Professor Winters to still be the head of the department by next fall? 

Well, he was here now. The hex was broken, he had a promising new job, some work to do for it, a house to settle into until August and he wasn't going anywhere -- except to capture Pettigrew. He was determined to see his plan work.

***************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There is no in-book or in-movie evidence that Lord Voldemort *actually* cursed or jinxed the DADA position. Dumbledore assumes it is so, but there's no evidence. J.K. has said in an interview (or two) that the position is jinxed or cursed, based on said jinx or curse being lifted after the fall of Voldemort. However, there's no canon evidence of such; just her word. So, with that in mind, I'm having Harry break the curse/jinx here (in order to better serve my story).  
> In retrospect, J.K. has also said or it has been assumed that Quirrell was the Muggle Studies professor (pre-1990) before he took a year off to get field experience. Some fans and fan theories say that this is impossible, but that's what we're going with here -- that he is a qualified Muggle Studies professor (and nothing more).  
> A/N 2: *starting in Chapter 2, Future!Harry will be referred to solely as Evan or Professor Blackwell or Lord Blackwell-Potter*


	2. Other Details

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Evan' takes the next steps, and discovers something surprising.
> 
> Short, housekeeping chapter. Next one will be longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Evan has taken the middle names Linfred Potter as a way to honour the House of Potter (and Peverell), they aren't his real names. They are his Lordship names. Similar to how witches often take a different name in covens, or to how Catholics have a 'catholic name' and similar to how when someone enters a nunnery or a monkshood, they take on Sister Someone or Brother Someone (Sister Mary Catherine, Brother Joseph) but those aren't their birth-names).
> 
> He also goes by 'Evan,' but it isn't his real name. I mean, as you know, his real name is Harry James Potter...but for the sake of documentation, banking, business, jobs, proof of birth, etc. his name is actually Eustice Eamon Blackwell. For the purposes of subterfuge, he is linked to the Potters, but perhaps to a mostly unknown branch. Linfred had seven children, according to the Wikia.
> 
> A family tree for Evan: https://www.familyecho.com/?p=FWFWY&c=5fk0njeeuk&f=917721180617389781

Evan had a meeting with the solicitor that would be taking Sirius's case. Advocatus Helen Leigh Hammon would take the case to the appropriate Barrister and begin the proceedings. Evan would rarely interact with the Barrister, which was fine -- just so long as things got moving and he could save Sirius.

The improvements on Potter Manor had gone well, too. The House Elves (Flynn, Roe, Geet, Lindy, Tem, and Pan) were pleased to make improvements, establish both the regular and the potions gardens, and keep the place clean and tidy. He'd had to update their quarters, the laundry and the kitchen, but it hadn't costed as much as it had in the future, and it was done now. He'd also made adjustments in the basement -- a secure room on one side, a potions lab on the other.

In the third week of December, just before Christmas but a day or so after Yule, Evan submitted his Syllabus to Headmaster Dumbledore and got a list of current Defense students from Professor Winters.

_**Syllabus**_

 _Year One_  
1\. Defense and Dark Arts.  
(.) What is Dark Arts?  
(.) What is the difference between Defensive Magick and Dart Arts?  
(.) What is the difference between Defensive Magick and Offensive Magick?  
(.) The three best spells for both.

2\. Creatures and Beings  
(.) What is the difference between a creature and a being?  
(.) Kinds of Wixen-like creatures or beings  
(.) The Dangerous Ones  
\- How to effectively fight against and defeat them  
(.) Traps, tricks and facts of creatures and beings

3\. Hexes, Jinxes, Curses  
(.) What is a Hex?  
\- How and Why would you hex someone/something?  
\- Breaking a hex  
(.) What is a jinx?  
\- Are jinxes dark?  
\- How and why would you jinx someone/something?  
\- Jinx traps  
\- Breaking a jinx  
(.) What is a curse? (Supplement 2)  
\- Why would you curse someone/something? (Supplement 2)  
\- Breaking down a curse into its parts (Supplement 2)  
\- Preventing or breaking certain types of curses (Supplement 2) 

4\. Essays and Exams  
(.) Weekly pop-quizzes  
(.) Weekly essays (outlined in Supplement 1)  
(.) Extra Credit (outlined in Supplement 1) 

5\. End of Year Exam  
(.) Written (practice in Supplement 1)  
(.) Practical

The syllabus was the same for both the second and third year students, but with the addition of 'Level 2' or 'Level 3' and some additional description, with the inclusion of some minor examples to give the Headmaster an idea of what he considered appropriate for the different age groups. 

Albus had responded with approval, but he'd had a few questions. Mostly, he simply wanted Evan to stress to the students that Dark Magick was dangerous, could be addictive, and there were always other methods. Headmaster Dumbledore was happy to have Evan take the lead, but he wanted it made clear that Dark Arts were not a path the students needed to wander down. 

Professor Winters had written him to explain that there was a curse or hex on the position and that, should he survive his first year, the Headmaster would probably extend his contract to another year. The current professors (Winters and Rhine) took turns in other departments, every other year, in order to get around the curse/hex and they both hoped he would be able to do the same. Evan had assured her that he'd be fine and that, if need be, he could teach Charms, Flying and P.E, or even First Year potions. 

She'd been happy with his syllabus, so that was taken care of. After reviewing the books from the previous years and seeing what was available, Evan had settled on: The International Encyclopedia of Magickal Creatures by June, Kowalski and Scamander; Dark Arts Explained Simply by Terren; Defensive and Offensive Magick Defined by Ruggarld; and two very slim, supplementary texts that he had put together himself and would be available at Flourish and Blotts for free to the students. 

Evan now had the time to focus on the more important tasks: Pettigrew and Lupin. He had two very important letters to write, but was greeted by an overwhelming surprise as he headed up to the library.

***

The library was large -- with walls and walls of books. One wall of books had a safe in its center, but most of the walls were crowded with books. There were more bookcases in the middle of the room, with a sofa, a fireplace, and a couple of tables and chairs. The far wall also had books on it, but there, in its center, was a ceiling to floor length portrait that he had never seen before.

He hadn't known it existed. In the future, he'd renovated the Manor and then moved Blaise and Ginny in. He hadn't lived there, he hadn't gone looking for portraits or things because it'd been too painful. He hadn't listened when Ginny had told him there was something there he might want to see. Now, he wished he had -- and would rectify that immediately when he got back.

She stood, heavily pregnant, with the woods behind her and sunlight streaming from a corner of the portrait. Her hair, a mix of auburn and bright red, flowed out behind her, catching the light. Her eyes, his eyes, sparkled.

As Evan approached the portrait of his mother, her head moved and her eyes locked with his.

"Harry!" she said happily. "I wondered when you might come." She looked steadily over him. "You're much older than I figured you'd be, when you found me."

Evan sighed. He'd seen her before, of course, with the stone and in the mirror, but nothing compared to this full-of-life portrait. "Mum," he said quietly.

***

His mother's portrait made it impossible for him to do any work in the library so, after three hours of talking to her, he took himself off to his bedroom. He still had letters to write.

***

_To: Remus J. Lupin_  
_222 Suncourt Road, Westfir Hills, Lane County, Oregon, United States_  
_Dear Mr. Lupin,_  
_Headmaster Dumbledore gave me your post address when I expressed an interest in connecting with you, considering some information I have that you might value._  
_I am a cousin, by way of India, to James Potter. Although I go by 'Evan', my birth-name is Eustice. Perhaps he mentioned me? We only met a couple of times, due to family reunions, and were not close._  
_In any case, I understand the two of you were close, and I have a job offer and some information for you in regards to Sirius Black, should you wish to accept._  
_The job isn't necessarily worthy of someone of your education [Defense Degree, Art History Degree], but it is much in line with both a Family Historian and a Caretaker._  
_I need someone to work on recording the Potter family events and histories, as well as to collect some data in regards to ancestral lines._  
_Additionally, I need someone that James trusted to stay in the Potter Manor when I am living at Hogwarts (I've landed the Defense post for next school year)._  
_I know very much about you, and am not put off by...furry little problems, nor by dogs or deers or rats, by any means._  
_I hope that isn't saying too much, and that you'll consider coming home to England for not only the post, but the connection (however tentative) to James._  
_The job will include room and board, as well as a small stipend - approximately forty galleons a week, for two years. We can negotiate that, if need be._  
_I know it seems a small amount of money, but with the room and board it's all I can, currently, afford._  
_If you have any questions, please write me back -- or we can meet in person, at your earliest convenience, perhaps near Stinchcombe._  
_Should you wish to meet in person, there is a lovely pub [Farmistice Tavern] in Breadstone (a village in Gloucestershire, just above Stinchcombe) that we could meet at._  
_Sincerely and with hopes that you are well,_  
_E.E. Blackwell-Potter_

He hoped, dearly, that Remus took him up on the offer. He'd gladly leave the Defense post in a few years time in order for Remus to take it over -- or recommend Remus, or something. He wanted the timeline to be as unchanged as possible so that he'd still go back to his world when it was all done.

Luckily, Evan had realized that he had no need to write the second letter -- or group of letters he'd intended. All he needed to do was wait until the next school year, and then he could, quite simply, lift Pettigrew from Percy's dorm. Percy had started Hogwarts last year; September of 1987. What it meant was that Percy would begin his third year in 1989 -- the first year that Evan would be teaching. Evan could just steal Peter when McGonagall was teaching and the students were in class.

Evan sighed and then tucked the letter into an envelope and gave it to Hedwig to deliver. He'd have to have a very strict talk with his mum's portrait if Remus did take him up on his offer. He really needed to have a very good look around the house too, he couldn't have Remus wandering across James' portrait either - if it existed. By the gods, there was still so much work to do.

**********

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the purposes of this story, the legal system in the UK Wixen World works as such:  
> Ministry of Magic - with its head being the Minister for Magic, whose term limits are 10 years. (Term limits = canon divergence)  
> Several departments within the Ministry help create laws, uphold laws, and go about the daily running of the Wixen World and the Wixen Government
> 
> Wizengamot is the Wixen Court (the Highest Court, similar to the No-Mag Supreme Court) (also known as the Council of Magical Law)  
> House of Lords is a faction of the Wizengamot (and is as close to Royalty as the Wixen World has) (canon divergence)  
> The Wizengamot Charter of Rights grants rights to the accused, and is referred to in times of Wizengamot Trials (which are rare)  
> Those found guilty of heinous crimes (by the WIzengamot) are sentenced to Azkaban, provided they are of age (17 or older). (The latter is canon divergence)  
> *the most severe punishment is the Dementor's Kiss, and is rarely used*
> 
> (canon divergence:)  
> Other hearings and trials go on in the Lower Courts.  
> Solicitors work out of Chambers (any), and are part of the Lower Courts.  
> Barristers are associated with and work out of the Inns of Court, and are also part of the Lower Courts.  
> Barristers and Solicitors often work in tandem, but they are a separate system of qualification.  
> (Causidicus = Barrister) (Advocatus = Solicitor). To appear in court, a Barrister will wear a formal style of robe and a wig.  
> The Lower Courts are as follows: The Court of Appeals with the Court of Record, The Court of Equity, The Court of Spiritual, The Court of Criminal Juvenile, The Court of Civil Procedure, and The Court of Criminal Maturus.  
> The only cases that would proceed up to the Wizengamot would be cases from the Court of Appeals,the Court of Criminal Maturus and the Court of Spiritual.
> 
> The Inns of Court: Outer Temple, Merlin's Inn, Gamp's Inn, Unseen Temple.  
> The Inns of Court regulate the admission to the profession and administer the Bar exams.  
> A Barrister can only report to, be regulated by, be disciplined by the Inn to which they are a member.  
> A solicitor is not beholden, or held to, an Inn of Court, but they must also pass the Bar exam -- and can take it at any Inn that has offered it to them.


	3. Remus Lupin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus talks to Albus.  
> Evan meets with Remus.
> 
>  
> 
> Most of this chapter is dialogue.

_9th January 1989_

Remus Lupin stared at the letter in his hands and then read it through again -- as it was the fourth time he'd read it, it didn't offer anything new.

He sighed, grabbed his wand and headed to the fireplace. A quick wand movement and a couple of words later, the floo enlarged -- big enough for an adult to walk through. International Floo travel was difficult, but not impossible. Remus knew that Albus would be more than capable of it, even if he, himself, wasn't.

"Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Castle, Head Office!" Remus shouted into the floo. Fire bloomed and blossomed, turning bright green.

Albus Dumbledore walked out of the fireplace and into the house.

Remus felt self-conscious for a moment and then shrugged. Even though his home in Oregon was little more than a shack, it was well kept, clean, tidy and he'd be soon offering Albus's favourite tea. He couldn't afford to feel bad about the miniscule space.

"Was International Floo travel really necessary, Remus?" Albus asked, his voice was a bit strained, but his eyes twinkled.

"Yes," came Remus's reply. Remus led Albus back into the little kitchen, where a small table was set. He flicked his wand and set the kettle to boil and, for a moment, busied himself with getting the tea things together. When the kettle boiled, he poured it into the prepared pot and brought the pot to the table. Albus was already seated.

"Is there something important with the Pack to report?" Albus asked after Remus sat.

"No, nothing like that. You know they've got no interest in European politics or in the British Magickal Ministry."

"Or in Hogwarts, I take it," said Albus.

Remus nodded and, after a few silent minutes, he poured the tea. "I've received a letter from an E.E. Blackwell Potter, offering me a job and claiming a relation to James."

Albus nodded. "He mentioned James had written of you, and wished to connect with you over some Potter Estate business, I gave him your address. I apologize if I've overstepped, my boy."

"I know James had a couple of cousins very close to the line, and a few on the Black side, and a few besides...but it was my understanding that they were all dead now." Remus accio'd a small vial and poured it into his tea. "Calming drought."

"Everything checks out. I've hired Mr. Blackwell for the First through Third Defense position for the next school year. He inherited the whole of the Potter Estate, including the Lordship," Albus explained.

"That's not right, Albus! What about young Harry!?" Remus sipped his tea slowly, and let the calming draught do its work. The moon cycle had just ended and he was still feeling on edge.

"It won't affect Harry, Remus. Harry is the rightful heir and according to Gringotts, he is still the Potter Heir. Mr. Blackwell wanted it that way. When Harry is ready, or of-age, or when Mr. Blackwell decides it, I am sure he will give over the Potter Estate and the Lordship to Harry."

"So, he must be legit, then, if the Goblins gave over everything, and if the Wizengamot accepts Blackwell taking the Potter seat?" Remus asked. 

"The Goblins test the blood, so, yes. The Wizengamot reviews the Goblin's report on the blood status, and then yes, we will accept Blackwell sitting the Potter seat. He'll most likely hire a proxy for the Peverell seat," Albus replied.

"I didn't realize the Potter's held the Peverell seat as well...so, the job offer from Blackwell is something I should consider?" Remus finished his tea and, seeing that Albus had finished his cup too, poured out two more.

"Yes. Aside from Voldemort, they are the direct descendants of the Peverell brothers." For a moment, Albus played with his wand - running it through his fingers, before sliding it back under his long, billowy sleeve. "Whatever job offer he has written to you about, will it bring you back to England?"

Remus nodded. "It's a caretaker position, I gather. The letter is a bit light on details. I...it's a generous offer of room, board and a stipend."

"You should take it, Remus." Albus gestured to the room. "If this fellow wants you to live in his home when he isn't there, perhaps we can discover more about him."

Remus sighed and then rose. "I think I'll meet with him first, as he suggests. Thank you for coming, Albus."

At the dismissal, Albus raised an eyebrow but then he smiled. "Anytime, old friend."

***

_23rd January 1989_

The pub was small, extremely clean, warm, well-organized and full of patrons. Clearly there was a great deal of magick at work -- Remus could feel it on his skin, but also, the conversations around him were only barely hearable. The light was dim, but pleasant, and the bar shone - freshly waxed, and pretty bottles lined up on shelves behind it.

He found a small table in the corner and sat down.

The waitress came over immediately. "What'll it be, sir?" she asked, a bit shyly.

"Whatever your best brew is, on tap," Remus replied.

"We've got a few on tap, as it's what we're known for. Five different bitters, Irish Red, Guinness and a Chocolate Stout. That doesn't include the bottled Burton or Olds, nor the bottled Porter. Which do you fancy?" she asked. "And did you want any food?"

"We'll take chips and crisps for the table," Evan said as he sat across from Remus. "I'll have a glass of Harp, if you've got it."

Remus nodded at the waitress and then said, "A pint of Irish Red, then, please."

"One ticket or two?" the waitress asked.

"One," replied Evan. "I'm buying." He grinned at Remus.

The waitress walked away. They stayed silent for several minutes, until she returned with their drinks and the crisps and chips for the table.

"Blue sparks from either of your wands, then, if you're wanting anything else. Tip on the table, if you've a mind to leave one, and you'll pay for your tab before heading out the door -- up at the counter. Door won't open if you haven't paid," she explained before leaving again.

Privacy spells slammed into place around them, and both men gasped a little before resuming their composure.

"Weird place," Remus commented.

Evan shrugged.

"Lord Blackwell, I presume?" Remus said softly.

Evan cracked a smile. "You can call me Evan or Eustice, really. I prefer Evan, but..." Evan shrugged again and then took a calming breath. Since he was trying not to fidget, he grabbed a handful of crisps.

"Alright, Evan." Remus looked up into his face then and gave a little gasp. "You look like James."

"I imagine my great-grandmother and his great-grandfather shared very similar looks."

"Were they twins?" asked Remus.

Evan smiled easily. "Heavens, no. Just very similar in looks. Possibly temperament, too, if my grandmother is anything to go by."

"Your eyes must come from the other side of your family, then. I don't recall meeting anyone with such a clear, light blue, on James's side, before. And Sirius and I met a few people, during the summers."

Evan nodded. A small potion (Eeezy Drops), dropped into each eye with an eyedropper, changed his eye-colour for 72 hours, then he'd need to reapply the drops. "I have my mother's eyes."

"Where did that long scar on your face come from?"

"There are a lot of foul things in the world, Mr. Lupin. I was an Auror, along with a friend of mine, for three years," Evan replied. "We got caught up in a case, a dangerous creature, and I got injured. It happens."

"Where were you an Auror?" Remus sat back. He was feeling a little confused. Evan smelled like magick and man, but underneath that, not something a human would pick up, was the scent of home -- of James and Lily and Sirius; of Godric's Hollow and cold, clear nights -- and along with that was the scent of something metallic and sand.

"India. Now, did you want to accept the job, Mr. Lupin?" Evan asked, trying to direct the conversation to safer ground. 

By the gods, Evan thought, his throat hurt. Here was Remus, younger and healthier than he remembered ever seeing him. Sitting in front of him, sharing some chips, crisps and a couple of beers. It would never be easy, Evan realized, interacting with people he loved so fiercely when they didn't actually know each other. Present day Remus was a mystery to him. Future Remus was dead. Evan's eyes burned for a minute before he got it under control.

"I like the sound of the terms, but I'm not sure I want to move back to England. And I am certainly not sure I'm cut out for living at Potter Manor," Remus responded.

Evan nodded. "Aren't you curious?"

"Curious about what?"

Evan leaned forward. "How I know what I know, what information I might have that pertains to Sirius, why I'm here?"

"You're a Potter, that's for sure and certain," Remus said. "I do want to know about Siri...Sirius. I also need to know why James told you about me."

"Really, Moony, James told me a lot of things. I reckon it's because I was safe. I lived a really sheltered life. I was overprotected and tucked away. It was safe for me to know about you and Sirius and Peter."

Remus's back hit the seat behind him so hard a clapping noise echoed inside their little private bubble. "No. James would never have said anything...never anything to a stranger."

"I'm not a stranger," Evan said gently. "I'm a Potter."

"What is it that I need to know about Sirius?" Remus said wearily.

"I've reopened the case. He's going to get a fair trial. He didn't betray my...cousin." Evan's voice stuttered slightly on the word 'cousin.'

Remus shook his head. "He was the secret keeper. It could only have been him."

"No. Sirius made them change to Peter, at the last moment. James wrote me about it."

"Why didn't you come forward sooner? Sirius has been in Azkaban for years!" Remus pushed away from the table.

Evan sighed and then held up a hand. "I didn't know. It took me a long time to work out the message, and even longer to realize that Sirius was held responsible. I didn't know him -- I don't know you. So, yeah, I'm sorry. I'm here now. I'm here to help."

Remus sat back down. "When did you want me to move in?"

"Sometime before July. I need to be at Hogwarts in August, and we'll need some time to go over what I expect, what I need you to do, to establish trust, and to set up things for your payment and your Wolfsbane Potion," Evan explained.

Remus gave a very long sigh and then nodded. "How soon would be acceptable?"

Evan waved a hand. "Whenever. Tomorrow, if you want."

"I can't tomorrow. I want to look over the contract, get a solicitor to look at it, arrange some things first."

Evan nodded. "Sounds good. Owl me the day before you want to move in, so we can meet here and I can apparate you over. I'll need to add you to the wards. There's a lot to talk about. A lot to do."

"You really are here to help, aren't you?" Remus asked quietly.

"Yes, Remus," Evan said firmly. "I really am."

********************

TBC


	4. The Horcrux and The Rat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan destroys the Locket.  
> A/N: Hi dear readers! This is the last chapter before the big time-jump! We're gonna tackle this chapter, and then in the next one, it'll be Harry's first year.  
> Also, I'm going on a mini-vacation (Disneyland for a day or two!) so I won't be back to writing [anything] until after 27th March.
> 
> Shorter chapter, but we'll be having longer chapters after this, as Harry goes into Year One.

Evan stood on the landing of 12 Grimmauld Place. He was surprised the house had appeared for him and seemed to recognize him as well. He was about six years, in the timeline, before his younger self would even clamp eyes on it, but the house, and its magicks, seemed to recognize him. It was definitely letting him enter.

He sighed and shoved open the door.

A crack announced Kreacher before he came hurtling towards Evan.

"Burglars! Burglars and thieves in Kreacher's Mistress's home!" Kreacher shouted, pointing at Evan.

Evan shook his head. "Stop that, Kreacher. I'm here to help!"

"Kreacher doesn't have to do what the wizard says!" Kreacher cried. "Kreacher is a good elf, of the Noble House of Black! Kreacher...."

"I think you'll find that you do, as I am a Black Heir and am rightfully entering. Besides, I've come to help with Regulus's noble work," Evan interrupted softly.

"Who is you?" Kreacher asked sullenly.

"Eustice Blackwell."

"A Potter Heir! A Potter in the House of Black! Oh my Mistress would be angry!" Kreacher screamed. 

"Where is her lovely portrait, by the way?" Evan asked as he wandered further down the hall and then into the kitchen.

Kreacher's ears dropped. "Kreacher is a bad elf. Kreacher is a bad elf. Kreacher couldn't bear the screaming anymore. Kreacher b-b-blasted it off the wall, Kreacher did!"

Evan stopped his perusal and stared, open-mouthed at Kreacher. That was absolutely a timeline change he hadn't expected or figured. It gave him a bad feeling in his stomach. If this detail could change simply upon him arriving in the past...what other things would be different now? 

He stood up a little straighter. "It could be removed by House Elf magick, then?" he asked.

Kreacher nodded and then began to wail. "Only Kreacher, only Kreacher could take it off the wall! Oh my Mistress!"

"That's enough! Pull yourself together! We've got something important to do!" Evan commanded.

Kreacher stopped wailing immediately and then gave Evan a suspicious look. "How is it that you is commanding Kreacher?"

"You can call me Master Evan, and I'm commanding you because I'm the rightful Heir," Evan explained.

Kreacher sighed. "You isn't named Evan, Master. But Kreacher is happy to be keeping your secrets. Kreacher is glad to have a new Master." He shuffled forward a little awkwardly. "Master Evan be helping Kreacher to help Master Regulus?"

Evan was taken aback by the instantaneous trust that Kreacher was placing in him, but he didn't mention it. Perhaps the five or so years between now and when Sirius would move back into the family home had really driven Kreacher mad -- or at least a lot more mad than he already was. Besides which, this Kreacher didn't have Walburga yelling at him and whispering to him and talking to him non-stop.

He folded his arms across his chest. "We are going to destroy the locket, Kreacher."

Kreacher's eyes widened in impossibility, but then he nodded. "Kreacher could not destroy it. Master Regulus commanded this of Kreacher and Kreacher could not do it, Master Evan."

"Get me the locket and let's go upstairs. I'll show you how to destroy a Horcrux." Kreacher popped out of the room for a moment and then back in. He followed Evan willingly, and silently, upstairs.

They destroyed it, and part of the home, with _fiendfyre_. Kreacher repaired the home almost immediately, and was very useful in extinguishing the flames.

After they were done, Evan had multiple things for Kreacher to do, for which he was grateful. Evan also conjured a fake locket for Kreacher, in honor of his bond with Regulus.

***

Evan did not venture to the cave. He did not retrieve the fake locket, nor the note inside of it. The potion and the Inferi were not something he ever wished to see again, and there was no need to deal with it anyway. Whether or not Dumbledore would still go to the cave, drink the potion and end up dead by the end of Harry's sixth year was beyond Evan's control and he had no need to mess with the finer details of what had happened. Or would happen.

Instead, he spent the next few months making carefully detailed notes and explanations on his lesson plans, refurbishing and renovating Black Manor (12 Grimmauld Place), meeting with Remus (who had yet to move into Potter Manor), and trying to come up with tiny things he could do that wouldn't affect the timeline too much.

He spent countless hours arguing with himself about going and taking young Harry from the Dursleys. He paced the floors at night, thinking about what the next best step would be.

Luckily, Evan was smarter than his desire to save Harry from an unfortunate upbringing. He didn't go, but he wanted to. He wanted to ask Remus to go and check on Harry, but he didn't. There was no way to have that conversation, once Remus understood what sort of life Harry was having, that didn't result in an argument. Remus would want to know why he didn't claim Harry as his ward, when he was in the rightful spot to do so. He'd want to know why Evan was content to let Harry be neglected and abused by the muggles.

Evan couldn't answer those questions. He couldn't risk the timeline changing so much as to have certain things never happen -- necessary things.

So, he bided his time until he could grab Pettigrew. He still hadn't told Remus that Pettigrew was still alive, because he couldn't risk Remus looking for the rat. Still, though, Remus was happy that an appeal was moving forward for Sirius and he was very upset with himself that he'd believed Sirius to be guilty. Evan could see how much Remus wanted to make it right.

***

_3rd November 1989_

The box was charmed unbreakable, had some air trapped inside which would dispense hourly, and had an anti-transfiguration charm on it. The animagus incantation was, after all, transfiguration. To be even safer, the box was also charmed with a specific anti-transformation (animagus variety) ward. 

Professor McGonagall was teaching her Human Transfiguration class and Percy Weasley was deep into brewing a potion down in the dungeons. Evan was all set -- everything was ready. He had been very happy to realize, over the course of the last two months, that Percy kept Scabbers in his locked cage during all of his classes rather than with the ability to roam about the grounds, as Ron had done.

Getting access to the Gryffindor password had been easier than he'd thought -- he hadn't needed it. Being a professor, as long as he was well aware of where the common room was, the portrait allowed him access - as a professor on staff. A little detail he hadn't known, in all his years at Hogwarts and after, when Neville had taken up the Herbology position.

Evan slipped inside underneath both the Cloak and a Disillusionment charm. He didn't want to take chances, and he was aware that Pettigrew knew of the Cloak and its uses.

The common room was the same as it had always been in his years, but with slightly more chairs and sofas spread throughout and slightly less books left on all of the surfaces. There was, also, a tea set and food-cupboard in the corner that he had never seen. He wondered what had happened that had taken that privilege away, but he knew it'd be much too suspicious to ask. The dormitories were the same, but larger.

The boys were on the right, the girls on the left. Evan climbed to the third floor of the tower and into the Third Year Boys' Dormitory. He looked around for Percy's bed and spotted it pretty instantly. His was the only one precisely made, with a pile of books about three feet high on his desk, and on the nightstand sat a small brown cage with a fat rat inside.

Having found what he wanted, Evan stepped back out of the doorway and removed the cloak. He slipped it into his bag and then pulled a small vial out of his pocket. Getting Percy's hair had been the most time consuming task. Luckily, he was teaching the third year students or he'd have had a much harder time of it. As it was, he'd had to negotiate a way to duel Percy and pluck the hairs out of his head, seemingly by accident.

Evan gave a slight shudder as the Polyjuice Potion went down his throat, but was otherwise fine. He spent several minutes deep-breathing as he morphed into Percy's likeness and then he took the box out of his other pocket. Satisfied, he shrank his black robes to fit and knew they'd look just similar enough to what Percy had been wearing that morning.

Once he was steady again, and had adopted a gait very similar to Percy and slipped on a pair of identical glasses, he removed the Disillusionment charm. He enlarged the box to its full size with a tap of his wand and then slipped his wand in his pocket, keeping the box behind him. He rushed into the room, muttering about forgetting a book and went straight to the desk. He put the box on the other side of the books, so that it would remain unseen by Scabbers.

Hurriedly, as though he couldn't find what he was looking for, he rushed to the night table. He grabbed Scabbers out of his cage, used him to gesture at the books and said, "Do you know where it is? It's the Potions Third Year Supplemental! I've got to have it! Scabbers, oh I wish you could help, I need that book!"

Scabbers looked up and down the stack of books, up and down again, and then looked into his face. Since Scabbers didn't seem suspicious, Evan threw out a tendril of magick and petrified him in one smooth movement.

With his other hand, he slid the lid of the box back and then shoved Scabbers inside. He locked it tightly with both physical locks and magick. There was no way Pettigrew was getting out until Evan was good and ready.

Outside of the dorm, holding the box tightly to his chest with one arm, he picked up his bag. He donned the Cloak once more and put the Disillusionment charm back on too. He had to wait somewhere for the Polyjuice to wear off, and then he could start the second portion of his plan.

He didn't care that Percy would come home to an empty cage and wonder and worry. He didn't care if Pettigrew never saw the light of day again. It was done, he'd captured Peter. Now he just had to get him to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement -- with some sort of explanation and some way to ensure that Sirius would be set free. Who was the head of the DMLE right now, anyway?

 

****************

TBC


	5. The Sorting of Harry Potter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan sees Harry get sorted.
> 
> Shorter chapter, sorry guys. It just didn't need to be that long. :)  
> And this story is almost finished too!! :)

_1st September 1991_

"Alright, Remus, I'll do what I can to get you the text, but you should get going. Tell Geet that he has my permission to stay at Grimmauld Place a few more months, as long as Kreacher is still doing Geet's work at Potter Manor. And get some rest!" Evan said firmly. He smiled in the general direction of Remus's face, nodded once and then said, "The Welcoming Feast is starting soon, I've got to go," and closed the Floo connection.

Remus had moved in during the later part of 1989, and split his time between Potter Manor and [fully renovated] Grimmauld Place. He and Sirius were, tentatively, reaching towards some kind of romantic relationship on top of their lifelong friendship.

Before leaving his rooms, Evan double-checked the secure location of his pensieve (which he was relying on pretty heavily now to maintain his past memories) and then smoothed his robes with a quick freshening charm. It was a lucky thing that he'd decided to copy all of his past memories into the pensieve and he hadn't done it a moment too soon.

Three months before school was about to start, Sirius Black had shown up on Harry Potter's doorstep and taken him to Diagon Alley. He'd basically written every single teacher to find out what books and supplies Harry would need and then gone to get him outfitted for school. According to Remus, Sirius had also bought Harry a new wardrobe of both muggle and magickal clothes, a pet snake, and a few magickal safeguards against the Dursleys (whatever that meant).

Both Sirius and Remus were very upset about Harry living with muggles (those muggles in particular) but Albus had made it very clear to both of them that strong blood wards were involved and that he, Albus, did not want to ask Evan to take on that responsibility and that the tie with Harry's mother was stronger in any case.

Sirius had also taken Harry around to meet Tonks, Dora and Ted, the Weasley clan, the Longbottoms, and the Greengrass family (the only decent Slytherins, to Sirius's view), over the last year. Harry had seemed to get along with everyone fine, but he and Ronald had not bonded in the way that Evan had expected. Hopefully, the school year would change that.

Evan's memories had gone wonky ever since these changes had occurred. He now remembered things and events that had never happened in his original timeline, and so he was very grateful that he'd been smart enough to understand the danger and preserve his original memories. There were things he never wanted to forget.

***

Evan couldn't help it, he stared. Harry was tiny. He was the shortest and smallest kid among the class of first years and, as Evan looked around, it seemed as though none of the other professors had noticed or cared.

He swallowed, hard. 

Had he really been that small? That tiny? That undernourished, underfed and....scrawny? He couldn't remember it accurately enough to know. But, by the gods....Harry was so tiny! How on Merlin's earth had not one professor noticed the very clear signs of neglect? It was as plain as day.

Evan took seven deep breaths, counting carefully, and pulled himself together -- sat up a little more, cleared his facial expression.

Harry would have a growth spurt that he had never had, especially with Sirius looking after the young boy now.

He took a long sip of water and then sat back and listened to the Sorting Hat. He really did love magick, and the hat had always been of particular interest to him. It was wonderful to see his own sorting from this angle -- from the High Table. It was also pretty amazing to watch Hermione muttering to herself and Neville seem super proud, a little puffed up even, to be standing next to Harry Potter and sharing a conversation and wide smiles.

Gods, they were all so young. So full of promise and potential.

And then the sorting started. Everyone sorted as Evan expected, just like in his original memories, until Neville. Neville Longbottom became a Hufflepuff, to the pride and joy of Hufflepuff House and Harry grinned and clapped along with them for his new friend.

Finally, it was Harry's turn.

Harry sat on the stool. The sorting hat came down around his eyes. The hall went quiet. It took several minutes longer than what Evan remembered.

The hat trembled, opened its brim-mouth and shouted, "Better be Slytherin!"

Harry handed the hat back to Minerva with a grin and went and sat, proudly, next to Draco Malfoy, after waving and smiling at Neville.

Every muscle in Evan's body went rigid and every hair stood on end. His heart started beating faster than it had in years and he could feel a panic attack starting. How could this happen? What did it mean? What on earth could he do to fix it? 

The world was going to come to an end, of that he was sure. Dramatic, perhaps. He needed to calm down. Evan could feel the lifetime's worth of memories (between the ages of 11 and 18) in his head just dissolving and, for the moment, being replaced by nothing. Absolutely nothing. Empty space. Blank. He needed to get the hell out of the hall right now.

Evan sighed. He needed to undo this change. But how?

****************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sorting:  
> Slytherins in Harry's Year:  
> Theo Nott*; Draco Malfoy*; Blaise Zabini*; Vincent Crabbe*; Gregory Goyle*; Pike Moon; Morrison MacDougal*.  
> Sheena Aston; Millicent Bulstrode*; Tracey Davis; Daphne Greengrass*; Lily Moon; Pansy Parkinson*; Georgina Smith.
> 
> Gryffindor Students in Harry's Year:  
> Seamus Finnigan; Bryant Hill; Oliver Rivers; Dean Thomas; Ronald Weasley*.  
> Parvati Patil; Lavender Brown*; Hermione Granger; Sally-Anne Perks; Sophie Roper.
> 
> Ravenclaw Students in Harry's Year:  
> Terry Boot; Michael Corner; Kevin Entwhistle; Anthony Goldstein; Stephen Cornfoot*.  
> Mandy Brocklehurst; Su Li; Padma Patil; Emma Stewartson; Morag MacDougal*; Isobel MacDougal*.
> 
> Hufflepuff Students in Harry's Year:  
> Justin Finch-Fletchley; Wayne Hopkins; Neville Longbottom*; Ernie Macmillan*; Roger Malone; Zacharias Smith*.  
> Megan Jones; Hannah Abbott*; Susan Bones; Branna Runcorn; Lisa Turpin; Temperance Zuwilla.
> 
> *indicated Pureblood status


	6. The Last Bit Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan decides what to do.

The good news? Four Horcruxes were dead and destroyed.

It had occurred to Evan, some months back, that it was likely that the Hufflepuff Cup wouldn't enter Bellatrix's vault until _after_ she escaped from Azkaban and not before. While Lucius Malfoy had been holding onto the _diary_ for the last twelve years, the same couldn't be said of the cup -- an object with which Voldemort would have wanted protected above all else and Bellatrix's vault was seized after her incarceration. She'd get her vault, and everything that had been in it, back once Voldemort rose to power (again), but, surely, Voldemort knew her well enough not to leave this particular possession unprotected.

After that, it had been quick work to set up a meeting (due to his Potter connections) with Wilhelmina Smith -- the granddaughter of Hepzibah Smith, and a direct descendant of the Hufflepuff line. Although Evan was aware the cup had been stolen from the family by Tom Riddle in 1959, he needed to know if the family knew anything else about the visit between Riddle and Hepzibah, and the subsequent murder.

Mina had been happy to talk about her family, her grandmother and the cup -- especially when she'd realised that Evan already knew the facts. From her, he'd learnt that the cup had originally been on display, loaned by the Smith family, at Hogwarts until Hepzibah and Dumbledore had a falling out and she'd taken it back.

He'd briefly met Rangaurd Smith, Hepzibah's son, but he'd been informed that Rangaurd had went a bit mad in his later years. The madness hadn't bothered Evan and, in fact, he'd found it useful. Rangaurd had been in the house when Tom Riddle had paid his call, and until he'd met Albus Dumbledore, no one had believed him that Hokey hadn't killed his mother.

With Rangaurd's help, he'd been able to gather the ingredients for an object-locator spell - and he'd been very surprised to find that the cup was not protected in the least from such a spell. Riddle had always been arrogant, and putting the cup back at Hogwarts, in an easily find-able location, was the height of arrogance, from Evan's point of view. It did beg the question, however, how and when had Riddle gotten it back in Evan's original timeline?

Destroying the diadem, the cup, the locket and the ring had been easy. He'd even managed to create believable, traceable replicas from the cup and the diadem. He'd returned the cup to the Smith Family and he'd encased the diadem in glass and hung it on the wall in the corridor of Hogwarts that Helen haunted. The plaque below it read: _Rowena Ravenclaw: the Mother of Eagles, long may she reign._

Obtaining the diary and the snake would be much more difficult. Especially since he knew, now, details about Nagini that made him hesitant to kill her. Once Lucius bestowed the diary upon the Weasley clan, Evan could (quite easily) abscond with it and destroy it, but the snake....she was different. It was because of Luna's connection to Rolf Scamander that they knew more about Nagini than they ever had previously.

Evan couldn't bring himself to murder a snake that had been a woman, regardless of her malediction. Maybe...armed with future knowledge, there was some way to save the woman inside the snake? It was Harry's first year at Hogwarts, Nagini was somewhere travelling around on her own, because Voldemort was here, possessing Professor Quirrell, of the Muggle Studies Department.

It seemed there were some bits of the timeline that even Evan could not change.

And he still needed to find a way to remove the Horcrux from young Harry.

***

There was also the bad news. Evan's original timeline was all but destroyed and he had to decide whether or not to continue on in this one. Eventually, young Harry would grow up...and he wouldn't become Evan. He wouldn't be a Master Clock-maker. He wouldn't head back and mess with time. If Evan headed back to his own time, there wouldn't be the lovely and abiding friendships between him and Hermione or him and Ron. Most of his world, as he knew it, would be forever altered.

Harry was friends with Neville, Draco, Blaise, Theodore, Fred and George. He was friendly with Hermione, but he and Ron didn't get along at all. Hopefully Harry would befriend Luna when she came along, and maybe Ginny. For now, he'd managed to carve out a small place for himself, even in these few months, among the Slytherins. There was a loyalty and an awe there that could be respected and utilized. Young Harry just needed some help along the next few years and then maybe Evan could go his own way.

***

When the troll arrived, Evan did nothing to interfere. Harry's loyal nature won out and he, Neville and Draco raced to save Miss Granger from her fate. They all got detention, but it didn't go much farther than that. 

As a Slytherin, and with the majority of Slytherin friends, Harry was much less likely to run headlong into danger. He didn't go after the Stone at the end of the year.

Professor Quirrell got arrested by the Aurors on the second to last day of term, it seemed that Professor Snape had been collecting evidence against him all year.

Lord Voldemort was discovered as having possessed him, and Evan attended the exorcism alongside Headmaster Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Madam Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt. The exorcism went well, and Quirrell was sentenced to a life-long stay in the Criminal Psychiatric Ward of Saint Mungo's.

***

Evan would never have what he had once had. His world was gone, his friends weren't his family anymore, and he needed to accept that and adjust to it. He could have a real life here, if he just started living it.

He would continue to hunt Horcruxes until they were all destroyed. He would continue his work on finding a cure for Nagini, and for expelling a Horcrux from a living being. He would be consistently vigilant about what he was still doing in this time, but he wouldn't be obsessed and he could no longer return home.

Evan was determined to get back into clock-making. When his memories had begun changing, he'd put the new ones into his pensieve and put copies of his original timeline into his head instead. He didn't want to be Harry and although he would keep having his memories be altered by Harry's new paths and new choices, he wanted to remain Evan and he wanted to continue being a clock-maker.

He had to start making better choices for his own life. There were teachers he could befriend, and people he could form into a found family. There may even be a chance to become friends with Severus Snape. Evan needed to reach out and he needed to start forming bonds beyond his tasks. There was a life to be lived, if he just found it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this work had a final, third part. (The Other Thing)...and I was going to start it....  
> "That's how it could have happened, but here's what really happened."  
> Like the movie Clue (1985) (with Tim Curry, Lesley Ann Warren and Michael McKean).  
> But here's the thing.....life happens.
> 
> My trusted desktop computer is dying. Its hard-drive is dying. I can't backup my files and I can't do anything on it. If a professional computer repair place can't save my files, my documents, then I'll lose everything that's on it -- and I just realized that will include my music libraries. Jeezus. Anyways, it's dying and I can't afford to fix it yet. So, I'm working without all my notes for the foreseeable future.
> 
> Twisted Path, Rye Prince, and the Biggest AU Undertaking are the only stories I write without my notes, without an outline, without my computer. Phirra (my computer) is currently lost to me, and without her...I can't write the things I have going. Nothing is abandoned, but it's going to be a long while before the rest get updated.
> 
> I hope you can understand. And thank you for your patience.


End file.
